Focus: Kick off the New Year with Biotechnology!

Biotechnology is becoming one of the most important economic driving forces in modern societies, bringing improvements to the health and quality of life of the population. Are you curious about the most recent applications of biotechnology and the latest health research? Do you want to explore them in your class? If you are looking for innovative multimedia and hands-on experiences to inspire your pupils, have a look at the resources, activities and initiatives presented in this Teachers’ Newsletter. You will discover scientific and technical advances in life science, tips on hands-on experimental activities and much more! To share your suggestions and thoughts on this newsletter, feel free to write to us at:teachers-newsletter@eun.org

Visit the Xplore Health European educational portal on cutting-edge health research and discover the innovative multimedia and hands-on experiences to teach health science in class. With Xplore Health activities, pupils are brought closer to the research world and have the chance to get informed and have their say on the XploreBlog!
With the drug development module, pupils will learn how drugs have increased our life expectancy, and how they work and are developed. With the next module, pupils will discover the different advances brought to us by biotechnologies, as well as the techniques used in current health research. More modules with interactive tools will be released during the first half of 2012 on malaria, genomics and obesity.

From 12 - 14 January iTEC will host its first workshop for teachers in London, UK. Participants have been selected from all over Europe to share their experiences and best practices and to be introduced to new iTEC learning tools and materials. They will also be visiting a Promethean school and have the chance to enter the BETT show, the world’s biggest exhibition presenting UK and international educational technology products, resources and best practice.

On 13 December 2011, about 200 people from twenty five member states gathered in Brussels to take part in the European e-Skills Conference 2011. The conference brought together leaders from industry, education and government to discuss the current state of e-Skills – competence in information technology – in Europe. The conference was the first event in the lead-up to the European e-Skills Week 2012, a pan-European campaign taking place from 26-30 March 2012 to raise awareness on the opportunities e-Skills offers for jobs.

The Future Classroom Lab is created by European Schoolnet, its supporting 30 ministries and industry partners to help visualise how conventional classrooms and other learning spaces can be easily reorganised to support changing styles of teaching and learning. The official launch event of the Future Classroom Lab will be held on 18 January in Brussels and is available through live streaming.

In June and July 2011, the industry-led consortium behind the website Teachtoday.eu carried out a survey in six EU languages to investigate teachers’ use of online technology and their chief concerns in terms of risks. The survey revealed that teachers aged 46-55 are most frequent Internet users, while teachers under 25 are the least frequent users. This may be explained by the fact that younger teachers mostly work with pre-school and primary school groups and do not feel the need to use new digital technologies for their work.

Safer Internet Day (SID) 2012 is fast approaching. Around the date of the event – Tuesday 7 February 2012 – a wide array of activities will take place across Europe and the world, focusing on the theme ‘Connecting generations and educating each other,’ with the slogan ‘Discover the digital world together...safely!’ New for 2012, SID now has its own dedicated website: www.saferinternetday.org. You can also join us on Facebook and Twitter too. Register online for updates.

30 Ministries of Education, through their network European Schoolnet (EUN), put special emphasis on eTwinning by linking EUN’s Eminent conference to an annual eTwinning conference aimed at European Regional Educational authorities, held in Genoa, Italy, on 16 and 17 November, 2011

Following a successful implementation of the Educational Netbook Pilot, Acer and European Schoolnet are carrying out a new pilot study on the use of tablet devices to enhance teaching and learning practices. The tablet study will take place during the next 12 months in eight European countries.

The European Science on Stage education festival will take place from 25-28 April 2013 at the Polish-German Border in Słubice and Frankfurt (Oder). For the first time, the festival will be organised by two countries, represented by the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland and Science on Stage Germany, under the motto “Crossing Borders in Science Teaching”. Around 350 teachers will meet to exchange teaching ideas and discuss current topics in education.

International Schools CyberFair is an award-winning authentic learning programme used by schools and youth organisations around the world. Pupils conduct research and publish their findings on the Web. Recognition is given to the best projects in each of eight categories. Register now and submit your project by 16 March.

ForMoove is a brand-new training course designed to equip teachers and other school staff with the knowledge and skills to get their school involved in European mobility projects. Taking part in the training course will give you the chance not only to find out about the wide range of European projects and initiatives on offer, but will provide you with the practical skills to confidently take up the role of project coordinator or partner.